Shloka 23
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
सामानि सामगास्तस्य गायन्ति यमसादने । हविर्धान॑ तु तस्याहुः परेषां वाहिनीमुखम्
sāmāni sāmagās tasya gāyanti yamasādane | havirdhānaṁ tu tasyāhuḥ pareṣāṁ vāhinīmukham ||
ອຳບາຣີສະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໃນກໍລະນີຂອງວີລະບຸລຸດນັ້ນ ບົດຮ້ອງ “ສາມັນ” ຖືກຮ້ອງຢູ່ໃນສຳນັກຂອງຍະມະເອງ—ໝາຍຄວາມວ່າ ໃນສະໜາມຮົບ ສຽງອັນນ່າສະພຶງກົວເຊັ່ນ “ຟັນມັນລົງ!” “ສີກມັນອອກ!” ກາຍເປັນພິທີສັກສິດອັນມືດມົນ. ທະຫານເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນ ດັ່ງນັກຮ້ອງສາມັນ ເຫັນຄືຮ້ອງເພື່ອສົ່ງສັດຕູໄປສູ່ໂລກແຫ່ງຄວາມຕາຍ. ແລະກອງຫນ້າສຸດ—“ປາກ” ຂອງກອງທັບຝ່າຍຕໍ່ຕ້ານ—ຖືກພັນລະນາສຳລັບຜູ້ອຸປະຖຳພິທີຜູ້ກ້ານັ້ນວ່າເປັນ havirdhāna ພາຊະນະວາງຂອງບູຊາ»។
अम्बरीष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses Vedic-sacrificial imagery to interpret warfare: the battlefield’s violent commands become a dark ‘Sāman’ chant, and the enemy’s vanguard becomes the ‘havirdhāna’ (offering-vessel). Ethically, it highlights how kṣatriya action can be framed as a ritualized duty, while also underscoring the grim proximity of war to death.
Ambarīṣa describes a heroic warrior (implicitly the subject under discussion) through an extended metaphor: soldiers are likened to Sāmaveda chanters, the cries of battle to sacred song, and the enemy army’s leading formation to the container that receives an offering—suggesting that enemies are being ‘offered’ to Yama through combat.